


The Fire Is Coming

by a_pious_cruelty



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-16
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2018-01-08 22:28:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1138166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_pious_cruelty/pseuds/a_pious_cruelty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Peggy Carter became the Winter Soldier. </p><p> </p><p>  <i>The Winter Soldier was dead by the time Steve Rogers awoke from his seventy year sleep.</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>According to all official records, Peggy Carter died when she fell from the train. Her body was never recovered. There was a headstone in London, an empty coffin in the ground. Natasha knew Steve visited it; she had been personally dispatched to watch over him the first time he went to Peggy's grave.</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>Wherever the Winter Soldier's body lay, Natasha knew there was no headstone, nothing left for Natasha to weep over.</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>But Natasha was not one to weep.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fire Is Coming

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my beta, stitchingatthecircuitboard.

When the Russian patrol pulled Margaret Carter from the ice in 1945, Natalia was dancing the Nutcracker. She remembered standing offstage, watching the girl who had won the lead role perform her part. Her dance was graceful, fluid, but Natalia would have done better. Natalia would have been perfect, and that night she danced her role as if she were the star. She danced to perfection, she was sure of it, but the dance earned her no praise from her teacher.

What was that other girl’s name? She couldn’t remember.

Natasha could almost admire the skill of the person who planted her memories. She remembered her teacher well, a sharp and demanding woman who rarely gave praise, so it was all the more thrilling whenever she did. But Natasha couldn’t remember that girl’s name. She would remember the girl’s name if the memory were true.

Sometimes she wondered if her memories of Peggy were false too.

:::

:::  
  
For years, Natalia didn't know that the Winter Soldier had a name, or that she was a woman. Though Soviets spoke with pride of Mother Russia, they were not always so kind to her daughters.  
  
She met Margaret Carter when she was seventeen.  
  
Margaret looked down at Natalia, with what Natalia read as disinterest. Natalia was young and arrogant, and she met Margaret's gaze straight on. The Winter Soldier was a legend, yes, but Natalia was born to be the Black Widow, her own legend.  
  
"You were expecting a man," Margaret said. Her Russian was perfect, and though Natalia knew the Winter Soldier was not born Russian, she could detect no foreign accent.  
  
Natalia glanced at Margaret’s metal hand, and then met Margaret’s gaze again. "Yes," Natalia said. "How did you know?"  
  
"Everyone expects a man," Margaret said. "But you have heard of me, and people will hear of you, Natalia."  
  
Natalia straightened. "I will be the Black Widow."  
  
"You are the Black Widow already," Margaret said. "Prove yourself worthy of the title."  
  
:::  
  
The Winter Soldier was dead by the time Steve Rogers awoke from his seventy year sleep.  
  
According to all official records, Peggy Carter died when she fell from the train. Her body was never recovered. There was a headstone in London, an empty coffin in the ground. Natasha knew Steve visited it; she had been personally dispatched to watch over him the first time he went to Peggy's grave.  
  
Wherever the Winter Soldier's body lay, Natasha knew there was no headstone, nothing left for Natasha to weep over.  
  
But Natasha was not one to weep.  
  
:::  
  
"Again," Margaret said.  
  
Natalia lifted her staff. "I thought you preferred a gun," she said. The staff was heavier in her hands than it had been when they’d started. Her muscles ached for rest, but she knew rest was not coming soon.  
  
"I am a soldier," Margaret said. She held up her staff. "Everything is a weapon to me. As it must be to you." She motioned for Natalia to come at her.  
  
They sparred for several minutes. Natalia's exhaustion made her movements sluggish, and with one swift movement of her staff, Margaret took Natalia off her feet. She landed hard on her back.  
  
Margaret stood over her. She did not offer a hand to help her up. “Why are you here?” she said.  
  
Natalia looked up at her, leaning up on her elbows. “To fight for Russia.”  
  
“Not only to fight,” Margaret said. “To win.” She offered Natalia a hand up, then looked at her for a long moment. “Enough,” she said, and turned to put her staff away.  
  
“I can do it,” Natalia said. “Don’t walk away from me!”  
  
Margaret stopped and glanced back, and Natalia’s heart skipped a beat. “You think you can beat me, even though you are tired?”  
  
“I know I can beat you,” Natalia said. Too bold, too arrogant, but Margaret smiled when she turned around.  
  
“Show me.”  
  
Natalia pushed back against the pain of her overworked muscles, pushed back her longing for her bed, pushed until she saw her opening and took Margaret down.  
  
Margaret laughed as she lay on the floor. “Good.”  
  
:::  
  
Natasha nodded in approval when Steve entered the room. “Very nice,” she said. “You don’t look like an old man anymore.”  
  
“I am an old man,” he said. But Natasha was right, he didn’t look it. His jeans were cut to fit him tightly, and his t-shirt clung to him. Natasha suspected that Agent Harris had something to do with his wardrobe for this mission. She had her eye on Steve, but he hadn’t noticed.  
  
Natasha didn’t ask if Steve felt ready for his first SHIELD mission, just shrugged and led the way out to the car.  
  
“You look good,” Steve said, once they were in the car.  
  
Natasha smiled and started up the car. She knew Steve wasn’t trying to hit on her, but he’d have to be careful with his compliments. Agent Harris wasn’t the only one in SHIELD with a crush on Steve, and he’d have half of SHIELD falling in love with him if he was too kind. “Thank you,” she said.  
  
A few people took notice of them when they entered the club—men and women checking them both out. Natasha held on to Steve’s arm, giggling and saying how much she wanted to dance, wouldn’t he dance with her, make her feel special tonight?  
  
Steve ignored her and led them over to the bar. “Hey, drink for my girl,” he said, slapping down money. “What do you want, babe?”  
  
“Martini, extra olives,” Natasha said to the bartender. She leaned up on the bar. “You know if Danny’s around?”  
  
The bartender eyed her. “Danny who?”  
  
“Danny! You know, the guy who owns the place,” she said. “Danny Donati. Me and Mark are like this with him. He said he’d be in tonight.”  
  
“Yeah he’s here,” the bartender said. “But he doesn’t want to see anyone.”  
  
Natasha pouted. “I really wanted to talk to him,” she said.  
  
“Guess you’re out of luck,” the bartender said.  
  
Steve pulled Natasha away from the bar, telling her that they could still dance. They got lost in the crowd of people and scoped out the door at the back of the club, the one that led up to Donati’s private office. A bouncer was hovering nearby.  
  
“I’ll distract him,” Steve said. “You get up there. I’ll follow."  
  
Natasha nodded. She slipped through the door unnoticed while Steve handled the bouncer and went up the stairs. The door to Louie’s office had a keypad, just like she’d expected, but she took a small explosive device out of her clutch and blew the lock open.  
  
She knew something was wrong before she flipped the light. She smelled blood in the air, and when the lights came on, she saw Donati lying on his desk, dead. There was a bullet hole in his forehead, and the window behind him was shattered. Probably a sniper. Whoever had killed him was long gone. His body was already cold.  
  
Steve came in behind her. “Jesus,” he said. He looked from Donati to Natasha. “What happened?”  
  
“It wasn’t me,” Natasha said. “Someone killed him before we came.”  
  
“Someone knew we were coming and didn’t want him to talk?” Steve said.  
  
“Maybe,” Natasha said. She checked the computer while Steve picked the lock on the filing cabinet. The filing cabinet just had club finance records, and whoever killed Donati had shot the hard drive. A thorough job. But the hard drive was still worth taking with them.  
  
Natasha switched on her comm. “This is Black Widow. Target is down. Unknown assailant has escaped.”  
  
“Do you need extraction?” Agent Ackerman responded.  
  
“Negative,” Natasha said. “Send in a clean-up crew. He’s going to be found soon.” She looked over at Steve. “We’d better go out the window.”  
  
They heard police sirens coming toward the club as they were driving away.  
  
“How could anyone have known we were coming?” Steve said.  
  
“Could be a mole,” Natasha said. “But it doesn’t make sense to kill Donati. He’s a valuable member of this network.”  
  
“Think it was a hit by a rival?”  
  
“Could be,” Natasha said.  
  
Steve was watching her. “But you don’t think so,” he said.  
  
“I don’t know,” Natasha said. “There was no signature. It was a clean hit, but there was no pride in it.”  
  
“It reminds you of someone,” Steve said, pushing.  
  
“No,” she said. “It’s impossible.”  
  
:::  
  
“My name is Rose Pender,” Margaret said, extending her hand to the man who stood before them. Spencer.  
  
He gave her a suspicious look before he shook her hand. “Who’s the girl?”  
  
“My student, Natalie Romilly,” Margaret said.  
  
“What’s a dance teacher want with an old place like this?” Spencer said, gesturing toward the warehouse.  
  
“I’d like to convert it to a dance studio,” Margaret said. “Would you be willing to sell?  
  
Spencer chuckled. “You got the wrong place if you want a dance studio.” He gave Margaret a long look. “But you’re not here for the space, are you?”  
  
Margaret smiled. “Oh good, I was hoping we could get to the point,” she said. “Natalie.”  
  
Natalia dropped her bag and then kicked out Spencer’s feet from under him, forcing him to his knees. Margaret took a gun from her purse and pointed it at Spencer. “You know why I’m here, you know what I want,” she said. “Tell me the location of Agent Daniels and you don’t have to die.”  
  
Again, Spencer laughed. “Is Russia so desperate they’re using women?” He spat on the ground. “Kill me, go ahead. I won’t tell you his location.”  
  
“Natalie is a very talented young woman,” Margaret said. “She can make you talk. I’m sure it won’t take long. If you prefer pain, then so be it.” She nodded at Natalia, and Natalia went over her bag and began to pull out her tools. When she turned around, she saw that Spencer had begun to pale. A poor excuse for a spy.  
  
“Who are you?” Spencer said.  
  
“You don’t need to know,” Margaret said.  
  
“I’ve heard of Russian operatives,” he said. “They come from what the Russians call Red Rooms.”  
  
“And Natalie is the best of all those operatives,” Margaret said. “Would you like to see her skill?”  
  
“No,” Spencer said. “I know what you are. The Black Widow. I will tell you where he is.”  
  
Margaret smiled at Natalia. “See how talented you are, Natalie? You didn’t even have to touch him.”  
  
Spencer gave them the location, and Margaret let him live.  
  
“Let him spread the word of your legend,” Margaret said, as they got in the car to drive to Daniel’s location.  
  
“He didn’t recognize you,” Natalia said. “Doesn’t it bother you? He should know the Winter Soldier.”  
  
“I don’t need him to know me,” Margaret said. “Only you.”  
  
:::  
  
The door behind Natasha opened, and Natasha glanced back to see Steve step inside the room. “Hey,” he said. “What are you working on?”  
  
“Looking through the footage we were able to gather from the cameras near the club,” Natasha said. The clean-up team hadn’t found anything at Donati’s club to tell them who killed Donati. They hadn’t been able to get anything from the remnants of the computer, either. “I was hoping to see the person who killed Donati.”  
  
“You’re looking for someone you know,” Steve said. He looked over her shoulder, and she shut off the computer screen. “I’m a SHIELD agent, too, Natasha. This is our case.”  
  
“You don’t have the clearance I do,” Natasha said.  
  
He sat next to her. “You don’t want me knowing something.”  
  
Natasha pressed her lips together. She couldn’t tell Steve, not yet. Not before she knew. “It’s not about you.”  
  
Steve looked at her, waiting.  
  
“It’s personal,” Natasha said.  
  
“All right,” Steve said. He got up and went over to the door. “Let me know if you find something.”  
  
Natasha went back to her footage once he was gone. Donati’d had a camera at the back of the club, just below the window to his office, but Natasha couldn’t find the footage. She figured it had been on Donati’s computer, so he’d probably seen his killer coming. If the killer was who Natasha suspected it was, by the time he’d seen her coming, it would have been too late.  
  
She doubted the other cameras had caught anything, but Natasha started going through the footage she had anyway.  
  
She found what she was hoping not to find in the lower left corner of one of the club’s front cameras. The image was blurry, low quality, but Natasha was sure it was her.  
  
Peggy Carter was still alive.  
  
:::  
  
Natalia put her hand to the glass of the stasis tube. “This is where they keep you when you’re away?”  
  
“Yes,” Margaret said. “To keep me young and at my peak.”  
  
“They shouldn’t do that to you,” Natalia said. “They gave me a treatment. They said it will keep me this age for years. Why can’t they do the same for you?”  
  
“Because you are special,” Margaret said. She put her hand on Natalia’s cheek and smiled fondly.  
  
“You’re special too,” Natalia said. “You’re the Winter Soldier.”  
  
Margaret took her hand away from Natalia’s face. “My value is in being unknown,” Margaret said. “I’m not special. I’m a tool, Natalia.”  
  
“Then so am I,” Natalia said. “I’m only here to serve Mother Russia.”  
  
“No, Natalia,” Margaret said. “You are meant for much more.” She paused. “Now is your curiosity satisfied?”  
  
“I don’t want you to go away,” Natalia said. She sounded like a child, but she couldn’t help it. She thought of Margaret being put into the stasis tube again—when would they wake her? How long would Natasha be alone in this life? Margaret had been gone for nearly six months before they had woken her to assassinate an American ambassador, and their handlers’ plans for Margaret were unpredictable. Pasha and Raisa could leave her in for years.  
  
“I need to be preserved so that I can serve my duty,” Margaret said. “Don’t worry about this. We’re going on a mission. We have a man in the CIA, but we have evidence that he has defected.”  
  
“An assassination mission?”  
  
“Only if we must kill him,” Margaret said, leading Natalia up the stairs and out of the building.  
  
When they arrived in the United States and tracked down the agent, they found him packing up to flee. He begged for his life, but Margaret broke his neck with one smooth motion. It was a quick mission that Margaret could have done alone, but Natalia was grateful for the time with Margaret, even in such grim circumstances.  
  
They drove out of the state and checked into a motel.  
  
Natalia watched Margaret brushing her hair. “Can I do that?” she asked, and Margaret nodded. Natalia pulled the brush through Margaret’s soft hair, smoothing it down with her other hand.  
Margaret made a small sound in her throat. “You are too fond of me,” she said.  
  
“I know,” Natalia said, quietly. She kept brushing Margaret’s hair.  
  
“It’s dangerous, Natalia,” Margaret said.  
  
“We both lead dangerous lives,” Natalia said. “We are used to risk.” She looked at Margaret’s face in the mirror.  
  
Margaret smiled faintly. “You are a problem.”  
  
Natalia put down the brush and knelt down before Margaret. “Please,” she said.  
  
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” Margaret said, looking away from Natalia.  
  
Natalia surged up and kissed her. Margaret grabbed Natalia by the shoulders, but she didn’t push her away. She let Natalia kiss her for only a moment before she pulled back.  
  
“No, Natalia,” Margaret said.  
  
Natalia sat back on her heels. “Why not?”  
  
“Because you deserve better,” Margaret said.  
  
“I want you,” Natalia said.  
  
“You will find someone else,” Margaret said, and then rose from her seat. “Rest. We’ll leave tomorrow.”  
  
:::  
  
“Agent Carter,” Natasha called across the parking lot.  
  
Sharon turned. “Yes?”  
  
Natasha walked up close to her. “How would you like to go to Russia with me?”  
  
“Sounds romantic, but I’m seeing someone,” Sharon said. “You being sent on a mission there?”  
  
“Not exactly,” Natasha said. “I need to check up on some old contacts, and I’d like to have a trustworthy agent with me in case something goes wrong. But I do need to know that I can trust you, Carter.”  
  
“If you’re going over Fury’s head, then no, you can’t trust me,” Sharon said. “If it’s something he should know, you need to tell him.”  
  
“I have a hunch on something,” Natasha said. “Nothing to waste SHIELD’s time on, but I would like to use my personal resources to check this out. Are you interested?”  
  
“You’ll have to tell me more,” Sharon said.  
  
“I’ll tell you on the way to your apartment.” Natasha slid into the passenger seat of Sharon’s car. “You can pick up some things and then we’ll go.”  
  
“You expect me to just take off to Russia with you?” Sharon said. She laughed and then started the car. “All right, I admit you’ve got me interested.”  
  
“Good,” Natasha said. “You don’t know the Winter Soldier, do you?”  
  
“No,” Sharon said. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”  
  
“From before your time,” Natasha said. “She was Russia’s greatest soldier.”  
  
“I always thought that was you,” Sharon said.  
  
“She began her work in 1945,” Natasha said, ignoring Sharon’s comment. “The KGB kept her in a stasis tube to keep her from aging and only sent her out on missions every few years. Until recently, I thought she was dead. That’s what all of my sources told me.”  
  
“But she’s not,” Sharon said.  
  
“No,” Natasha said. “She’s not.”  
  
They arrived at Sharon’s apartment complex and went up to her place. An orange cat rubbed up against Natasha’s legs when she entered.  
  
Sharon went to the bedroom to pack up some things. Natasha walked over to the doorway. “Sharon, please stop for a moment,” Natasha said. “You were inspired by the stories your mother told you of your great aunt to become a SHIELD agent, weren’t you?”  
  
Sharon nodded. “Didn’t know you knew that.”  
  
“Peggy Carter didn’t die the day she fell from that train, Sharon,” Natasha said. “She was rescued by the Russians.”  
  
Sharon stared at her. “Rescued and—Jesus Christ, Natasha. Are you saying she was this soldier? That she’s alive?”  
  
“Yes,” Natasha said.  
  
“But how can you know that?” Sharon said.  
  
“I had a hunch about a hit Steve and I ran into,” Natasha said. “I checked some footage and saw her.” She pulled the picture out of her jacket and handed it to Sharon.  
  
Sharon squinted at it. “How can you be sure it’s her?”  
  
“I can’t,” Natasha said. “But I am.”  
  
Sharon shook her head. “This is insane,” she said. “Aunt Peggy? Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?”  
  
“You didn’t need to know,” Natasha said. “Everyone thought Margaret was dead. We were so certain.”  
  
“You knew her,” Sharon said.  
  
“Very well,” Natasha said. She took the photo of Margaret and looked down at it. “I know she’s alive. I just have to find out who activated her.”  
  
“Activated?”  
  
“Peggy was a sleeper,” Natasha said. “You needed a code to wake her up. Someone must have found or bought the code.”  
  
“So why isn’t this something SHIELD should know about?” Sharon said. She’d returned to picking out things to bring with her. “If you’re sure it’s her, SHIELD should be involved in this.”  
  
“Not yet,” Natasha said. “No one at SHIELD knows her like I know her.”  
  
Sharon hummed. “Is that so?”  
  
“We were often sent on missions together,” Natasha said.  
  
“You were friends,” Sharon said.  
  
“Yes,” Natasha said. “Are you ready?”  
  
“Let me ask my neighbor to look after my cat for me, and then we’ll take off.”  
  
:::  
  
Seven years after their CIA mission, Natalia saw Margaret again. They did not embrace, just faced each other, taking each other in.  
  
“It’s been a long time,” Natalia said.  
  
“Yes, they told me,” Margaret said. “Seven years. You still look the same.”  
  
“So do you,” Natalia said. “They told you about the mission?”  
  
“The Infinity Formula,” Margaret said. “They think they have a lock on it.”  
  
“You sound doubtful,” Natalia said. She sat down on the cot. Margaret’s quarters were as they had always been, bare of personal effects. She didn’t really have much of her own. She didn’t need much, considering how little time she had to herself and how much time she spent in stasis or serving Russia.  
  
Margaret shrugged. “The Americans are very protective of the Infinity Formula,” she said. “It seems too easy.”  
  
“It won’t be easy to break into the compound,” Natalia said.  
  
Margaret sat next to Natalia. “We are the best in Russia,” she said. “It wouldn’t be easy for anyone, but for us? Perhaps.”  
  
Natalia smiled. “I missed you, Margaret,” she said. She touched Margaret’s face, but Margaret turned away.  
  
“When does the plane leave?” Margaret said.  
  
“Twenty minutes,” Natalia said.  
  
Margaret didn’t speak to her during the long flight to the United States. Several times, though, Natalia caught Margaret looking at her. She didn’t say anything about it.  
  
Once they were in the United States, they were transported three miles from the compound where their operative had told the KGB the Infinity Formula was being kept. They walked to the compound in silence, and they remained silent as they took position among the trees surrounding the compound. There were five guards at the gate. Margaret shot each guard cleanly, and they scaled the gate, dropping down behind it.  
  
There were more guards at the doors to the compound. These they took out together. The guards were overwhelmed before they knew what hit them, but one of the guards radioed to those inside the compound.  
  
No matter. The people inside wouldn’t be able to move the Infinity Formula before Natalia and Margaret got through their defenses.  
  
There weren’t enough men on the inside. She and Margaret moved through the compound too quickly, too easily.  
  
Margaret cursed. “It’s not here,” she said, though they still hadn’t gotten into the safe.  
  
“Patience,” Natalia said. It would take her a while to crack the safe—but she knew Margaret was right. Chances were good that the formula wasn’t here.  
  
“It’s a trap,” Margaret said, yanking Natalia away from the safe. “We’re getting out of here.”  
  
“We can’t just leave,” Natalia said.  
  
“The formula isn’t here,” Margaret said. “We’re not getting captured, Natalia.”  
  
The elevator they had taken down to this level opened, and what Natalia recognized as SHIELD agents began to pour in, guns out.  
  
“This is your chance to surrender,” a man said, coming forward from the crowd of agents. Natalia had never met him, but she’d seen pictures of him before. He was the leader of SHIELD, Nick Fury.  
  
Natalia raised her hand to her utility belt. “Margaret,” she said, quietly. “Get ready.”  
  
Margaret lifted her gun.  
  
Fury shook his head. “No use firing on us,” he said. “We’ve got you cornered. Black Widow, is it? And a friend?”  
  
“Now!” Natasha slid one of her newly developed weapons out of her belt and tossed it down. Smoke exploded from the device, and she and Margaret vaulted forward, fighting their way through the confusion. They got to the elevator and went up, knowing they were going to have to fight their way out of the compound.  
  
There was a group of agents in position on the top level of the compound. Not enough, though. They escaped the agents through the back of the compound, losing those that followed them in the woods.  
  
A few miles out, they found a small town. Natalia hotwired a car, and Natasha stomped on the gas pedal, shooting them out of town. She slowed down only when they were miles from the town. When they were a few hours away, they found a payphone and contacted their handler, Pasha, to arrange a pick-up point. They wouldn’t be able leave until the next day, but Pasha told them about a woman who would give them a safe place to stay.  
  
The woman was a retired operative who’d been living in the United States, helping Russian agents working undercover. She pointed them to the guest room and told them not to wake her up again unless SHIELD kicked down the door.  
  
There was one bed in the guest room. Margaret and Natasha lay down together, and though Natalia knew Margaret was trying not to touch her, the bed was too small for them to stay apart.  
  
“Come here,” Natalia said, pulling Margaret into her arms.  
  
“I told you before, Natalia,” Margaret said, but she didn’t move away. They were both tired from fighting, ready for sleep.  
  
“Many years ago,” Natalia said. “I’m different now.”  
  
“I’m not,” Margaret said. She closed her eyes.  
  
“Shh,” Natalia said. “Just sleep.”  
  
:::  
  
To his credit, Alexi looked startled for only a moment when he turned on the light to see Natasha and Sharon in his living room. Then he smiled. "So," he said, "you've finally come to kill me, Natalia."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself," Natasha said. "We're here for information."  
  
"Natalia," Alexi said, "I've long been retired."  
  
"But you've kept your ear to the ground," Natasha said.  
  
"You've heard whispers about the Winter Soldier," Sharon said.  
  
Alexi shrugged. "Who among us did not? But only whispers. I never knew him."  
  
"Is she alive?" Sharon said.  
  
Alexi pretended to be surprised. "She?" he said. "A woman? I don't believe it."  
  
"Cut the crap," Sharon said. "You know she was a woman."  
  
"And who are you to be asking about the Winter Soldier?" Alexi said.  
  
"She's a friend," Natasha said. She rose from her seat and crossed the room to stand before him. "I need to know, Alexi. Is she alive?"  
  
He looked at her for a long moment. "They say there is a man who wants to make his legacy," Alexi said. "Rich. Smart. Dangerous. He has control of all the arms and drugs that are moved through Russia."  
  
"No one man in Russia has that kind of control," Sharon said.  
Alexi grunted. "Your friend is what, CIA? She thinks she knows everything?"  
   
"Do you know his name?" Natasha said.  
   
"They call him the Red King," Alexi said. "He's kept quiet, mostly. Me, I think he's biding his time, waiting to make his premiere on a world stage."  
   
"What makes you think he's connected to the Winter Soldier?" Sharon said.  
   
"Someone's been buying up old Soviet projects," Alexi said. "The Wolf Spider formula. Robotics. But there is also a rumor of a sleeper codes that were sold on the black market. It's all rumors, all whispers, of course." He paused. "But you wouldn’t be here if you didn't already suspect she was alive, would you?"  
   
"I was told she died," Natasha said.  
   
"Legends do not die, Natalia," he said. "Look at yourself."  
   
"Do you know how to find the Red King?" Sharon said.  
   
Alexi laughed. "No. I am just old man waiting for a well-deserved death."  
   
They left Alexi's home and got into their car. "What now?" Sharon said. "You got more connections from the old days?"  
   
“Yes,” Natasha said. “We’re going to a safe house so that I can get a disguise. Then we’re going to the black market. If this guy’s been buying up old Soviet projects, we should be able to find a connection through the black market.”  
   
“I didn’t know the Russian black market was an actual place,” Sharon said.  
   
“You know about Donati?” Natasha said.  
   
“Dead guy?” Sharon said.  
   
“I’m starting to think he was working for the Red King,” Natasha said. They pulled up to the safe house and got out of the car.  
   
“What makes you think that?” Sharon asked, as they entered the house.  
   
“I think the Red King’s preparing his network in the United States,” Natasha said. She put her hand to a scanner, and the door to the basement opened. “Donati must have gotten too loud. That’s why we found him. The Red King must have wanted him shut up before we could get to him and find out there was a new player in the game.”  
   
“But he didn’t realize you would be there and that you would know about the Winter Soldier,” Sharon said.  
   
“No, he didn’t.” Natasha picked out a wig and pulled a coat on over her jumpsuit. She wanted some people to recognize her, but not everyone.  
   
“What about me?” Sharon said. She touched one of the black wigs.  
   
“You don’t need a disguise,” Natasha said. “No one will recognize you.”  
   
“Ouch,” Sharon said. “You don’t think anyone will recognize Agent 13?”  
   
“Not here,” Natasha said. “If you’re feeling left out, you can take one of the wigs.”  
   
“I like this coat,” Sharon said, slipping it on.  
   
“Just don’t get any blood on it,” Natasha said, and they left.  
  
“Didn’t imagine the black market would look like this,” Sharon murmured as they passed by people selling guns. “Not as impressive as I imagined.”  
   
“This is just the surface,” Natasha said. “As always, the good stuff is being sold in the back rooms.” She nodded toward the door in the back. “That’s where they’ll be selling the old Soviet projects and secrets.”  
   
“And how do you propose we get back there?” Sharon said.  
   
“We don’t need to get in,” Natasha said. “We just have to find out who’s in there.” She spotted Lilya from across the crowd. “There’s our woman. Come on.”

Lilya was selling guns, nothing particularly special, but Natasha knew Lilya well enough to know that the pieces she was displaying were not the most interesting things she had to offer.

“Hello, Lilya,” Natasha said. “How’s business?”  
  
Lilya looked closely at her. “Ah, Natasha,” she said. “You’re interested in buying some guns? I thought your men kept you with all the supplies you needed.”  
  
“I’m looking for something bigger than a gun,” Natasha said.  
  
“Perhaps a missile launcher? I can get you one,” Lilya said.  
  
“No, Lilya,” Natasha said. “I’m interested in a woman.”  
  
Lilya laughed. “You know I don’t sell people, Natasha. I’m all about arms.”  
  
“This woman is a weapon,” Natasha said.  
  
“A weapon like you?” Lilya said. “I haven’t heard of any Red Room operatives being activated since you defected.”  
  
“Don’t be coy,” Natasha said. “You’ve heard of codes being sold in back rooms, haven’t you?”  
  
“And you want to know who’s been buying them,” Lilya said. She leaned in close to Natasha. “Can your friend be trusted?”  
  
“Lilya,” Natasha said, also leaning in, “I know you don’t care about that. You want money? I can get it to you. Just tell me what you know.”  
  
“There’s a man,” Lilya said. “Real son of a bitch. Ruthless in the back room. He’s been buying up codes to the sleepers. Every one of them. But they’re not for himself. He’s just a buyer. There’s someone bigger.”  
  
“Yes, we know,” Natasha said. “Do you know the buyer’s name?”  
  
“Goes by Jankovic,” Lilya said. “How much will I get for this?”  
  
“You’ll have the money tomorrow, Lilya,” Natasha said.  
  
Sharon nudged Natasha. “Hey, I think someone’s recognized you,” she said, quietly.  
  
Natasha looked up to see a tall, dark-haired man watching her from across the room.  
  
“Yeah, that’s the guy,” Lilya said.  
  
“Shit,” Natasha said, under her breath.  
  
“You know him?” Sharon said.  
  
“He’s not just a buyer,” Natasha said. “He’s one of the sleepers. Move, Sharon.”  
  
They started moving through the crowd, but she saw men moving toward the door to block their path.  
  
“You know, I don’t think I ever thanked you for bringing me along,” Sharon said, as men began to surround them.  
  
“Shut up and cover your mouth and nose,” Natasha said. “Get ready to run.” She slid her hand inside her coat and got a gas device out of her utility belt. She tossed it down on the ground and it exploded with enough force to fill the room.  
  
As they ran out of the black market, Sharon yelled, “I think it’s time to get SHIELD involved!”  
  
:::  
  
“I want to be there when you wake her,” Natalia said.  
  
Raisa frowned at her. “Why? She will be disoriented,” she said. “She won’t recognize you at first.”  
  
“Still,” Natalia said. “I want to be there.”  
  
Raisa shrugged. “I suppose it would do no harm,” she said. “But I will speak with Pasha first.”

She left the building, and Natalia stood in the doorway, watching her walk to the building where Pasha’s office was. She was inside for only a few minutes before she came back out, nodding at Natalia when she reached her. “Follow me.” She led the way to the building where the sleepers were kept. “Pasha says it will be good for her. You can help bring her back to herself. We know how close you two are.”

Raisa gave Natalia a long look, and Natalia looked away.  
  
“You’re waking her now?” Natalia said.  
  
“Yes,” Raisa said. “We need her to begin training new recruits to infiltrate the United States.” She opened the door to the building where the sleepers were kept. “She’ll need to work out her muscles after so long a sleep. You can spar with her.”  
  
“Of course,” Natalia said.  
  
Natalia had never seen Margaret in her stasis tube before. She was limp, naked, hooked up to a breathing apparatus. Natalia shuddered and touched her hand to the glass.  
  
Raisa typed in the code to the tube, and the fluid inside the tube began to drain out. “Step back,” she said, and opened the door to the tube. After she’d removed Margaret’s mask, Natalia moved in front of her to take Margaret in her arms.  
  
“Natalia?” Margaret said, her eyes half closed.  
  
“Yes,” Natalia said. “I’m here.”  
  
She helped Margaret into the shower, helped her to dress afterward.  
  
“Why are you here?” Margaret said. She was fully awake and aware now. “Usually it’s just Raisa or Pasha.”  
  
“I asked to be here,” Natalia said. “Come. Raisa wants us to spar to get your muscles working again.”  
  
Margaret made a displeased sound in her throat. “They always send a new soldier to fight me,” she said.  
  
“I’m a better match for you,” Natalia said.  
  
They chose staffs, just as they always did. Margaret wasn’t sluggish; she was as sharp and alert as ever. She countered Natalia’s attacks with speed and accuracy, but Natalia was not the child she had once been. She was a soldier now, and she met each one of Margaret’s moves with ease.  
  
They fought to a standstill.  
  
“I missed you,” Natalia said.  
  
“I know,” Margaret said. “You always say that.”  
  
“I always mean it,” Natalia said. She stepped closer to Margaret. “You’ll be out for a long time. There are many new soldiers for you to train.”  
  
“You’re happy about that,” Margaret said.  
  
“I suppose,” Natalia said. She took another step closer, and Margaret backed up to the wall.  
  
“Don’t do this, Natalia,” Margaret said, softly.  
  
“Margaret,” Natalia said, leaning close to Margaret's ear. “Do you know that I would leave all of this to be with you?”  
  
Margaret grabbed Natalia and spun her around, so that she was pressed up against the wall. “Don’t you ever say that,” she said. “Your duty is to this nation.”  
  
“I don’t care,” Natalia said. “They take you away from me, Margaret. I can’t--”  
  
“Shut up,” Margaret hissed. “Shut up, Natalia.” She touched Natalia’s face, so gently, like she was afraid she could break Natalia. “Do you even realize what they would do to you?”  
  
“I don’t care,” Natalia said again.  
  
“I love you,” Margaret said. “I love you, Natalia, you can’t do this.”  
  
“But I would,” Natalia said.  
  
“You will not,” Margaret said. “For me, you will not.” She looked like she might cry. Natalia had never seen her cry.  
  
But she didn’t cry. Instead, she leaned in and kissed Natalia. “You are a fool,” she said, and then kissed Natalia again. She pressed against Natalia and kissed her over and over, until they were both breathless.  
  
An hour later, Margaret was out training new soldiers to pass as British allies and agents, and Natalia was waiting in her bed for her to return.  
  
“God, you are fool,” Margaret said when she came in and saw Natalia.  
  
“Come here,” Natalia said.  
  
“I always hoped you’d find someone else to focus your affections on,” Margaret said.  
  
Natalia just held out her hand. Margaret lay next to her on the cot, and Natalia kissed her neck. “I love you, too, Margaret,” she said.  
  
“It’s a mistake,” Margaret said.  
  
“Shh,” Natalia said. She put her hand under Margaret’s shirt and kissed her. Margaret didn’t pull away. She kissed Natalia back, much more slowly than they had kissed before.  
  
They pushed each other’s clothes out of the way, touching and kissing and moving together. They didn't talk. Their moans were quiet. They were both afraid of being heard, but not so afraid that they would stop.

  
Natalia wanted to stay with Margaret, but she rose from the bed, pulling her clothes back in place. "Good night, Margaret," she said, lingering in the doorway just a moment before she left.

:::

Fury didn't bother with admonitions. "Can you find the Winter Soldier?" he said.  
  
"Not easily," Natasha said. "We can find her through the Red King, but it's more likely Margaret will make a move before we can find him."  
  
"What makes you think that?" Maria asked.  
  
"The Red King knows by now that we're after him," Natasha said. "He'll be moving up his plans for his world premiere. I don't doubt he'll use the Winter Soldier for it. He didn't send her to the United States just to take out Donati. He wants her for something big.”  
  
“We’ll get a team out to Russia to track down Jankovic,” Fury said. “I want you two on leading the team to track down Peggy Carter.”  
  
“What will we tell Steve?” Natasha said.  
  
“Nothing,” Fury said. “He doesn’t need to know until we have Carter in custody.”  
  
“We shouldn’t keep this from him,” Natasha said.  
  
“Let’s get moving, Romanoff,” Maria said, as she rose from her seat. “Sir?”  
  
“That’s all,” Fury said, nodding.  
  
Maria walked briskly from the office. Natasha kept pace with her.  
  
“You should have told us immediately,” Maria said. “You may have put a lot of people in danger.”  
  
“What would you have done differently?” Natasha said. “We now know about the Red King. We have a lead on his man.”  
  
Maria stopped and turned toward Natasha. “You’re emotionally compromised, Romanoff,” she said. “You and the Winter Soldier have a relationship.”  
  
“That was many years ago,” Natasha said. “You’re wasting time, Hill. Let’s go.”  
  
They began moving down the hallway again, into one of the secure rooms. “There’s no better way to make a splash than with a terrorist attack,” Maria said. “We’ve identified the most likely targets. Large cities, government buildings.”  
  
“And SHIELD,” Natasha said.  
  
“You really think he’d come after SHIELD?” Maria said.  
  
“I know he would,” Natasha said. “Other than a few superheroes, SHIELD is probably the only agency that can stop the Winter Soldier.”  
  
“Most of his competition won’t even know about SHIELD,” Maria said.  
  
“But the important ones will,” Natasha said. “Fury won’t like it, but we should get him to a safe house.”  
  
“Fury will never agree to it,” Maria said.  
  
“Make a compelling argument,” Natasha said.  
  
Maria’s jaw tightened, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “And who will be escorting him to this safe house?”  
  
“Myself and a team,” Natasha said. “Pick whoever else you want, but I want to lead it.”  
  
“I don’t like you giving me orders,” Maria said.  
  
“I don’t care,” Natasha said. “We don’t have much time. The Red King anticipated our visit to Donati. I’m not so sure he won’t see this coming too.”  
  
Maria was silent for a moment. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll get Fury to agree to go.”  
  
“You may want to go into a safe house too,” Natasha said.  
  
“Like hell,” Maria replied.  
  
:::  
  
Margaret died two months before the Berlin Wall fell.  
  
Raisa woke Natalia in the middle of the night to tell her. Margaret had been sent on an assassination mission. She’d been cornered by the Americans in a trap, and she’d died fighting her way out.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Raisa said. “She was a remarkable woman.” And then she left.  
  
Natalia sat up until light came in through the window. When she could no longer tolerate sitting in her bed, she went to the building where Margaret was kept in stasis. The code had been changed, and she was not permitted to enter.  
  
“Are you keeping her away from me?” Natalia asked Raisa.  
  
“I would never do such a thing, Natalia,” Raisa said. “Margaret was precious to me. I’m grieving too.”

Natalia gave her a sharp look. “You think you know grief?”

Raisa drew back. “Natalia, I know--”

“You know nothing,” Natalia said, and left Raisa to cower.

Pasha came to her the next day and took her outside to walk through the compound.

“You have experienced terrible loss,” he said. “Russia has experienced a terrible loss. But you will soldier on.” He stopped and put his hand under her chin, like one would with a child. “You are made of strong stuff, are you not?”

“I was made to bear pain,” Natalia said. She did not flinch away from him, though she had never liked when he touched her. “I am the Black Widow.”

Pasha smiled. “And the Black Widow can survive anything. Even this.”

She never believed that Margaret was really dead until she stopped hearing people talk in hushed tones of the Winter Soldier. As the Soviet Union began to fall apart, her legend began to disappear.

They sent Natalia on fewer and fewer missions as the Soviet Union crumbled. Natalia was glad to watch it fall. This country had taken Margaret from her, and while Natalia could not take down an entire nation by herself for spite, she could rejoice in its collapse.

She was in France when Raisa and Pasha stopped responding. All the secure lines went dead. There were no safe houses left. The Soviet Union was gone, and Natalia was alone.  

SHIELD found her five years after Margaret’s death. Clint chose not to put an arrow through her, and she wound up sitting in Director Fury’s office.  
  
“Ms. Romanova,” Fury said. “It’s been a long time. You haven’t changed.”  
  
“Neither have you,” Natalia said. “I never knew the Infinity Formula was for you.”  
  
“A small indulgence,” he said. “You’ve kept busy since the collapse of the Soviet Union.” He tossed a few photos of dead bodies down on the desk. “I’ve heard you trade in secrets, too, not just bullets.”  
  
“I need to survive,” Natalia said.  
  
“You’re lost, now that you don’t have someone telling you what to do,” Fury said. “Don’t know what to do with yourself.”  
  
“You make a lot of assumptions,” Natalia said, coolly.  
  
“You’re selective in the kills you make,” Fury said. “Only those involved in organized crime. No bystanders. No innocents.” He leaned forward. “You don’t kill because you like it.”  
  
“It’s out of need,” Natalia said.  
  
“So it is,” Fury said. He paused. “What if I offered you an opportunity to use your skills for SHIELD?”  
  
“Are you offering me a job?” Natalia said. “I have a very high fee for my services.”  
  
“I’m offering you a life,” Fury said. “You’ve got no direction. You’ve got no purpose. SHIELD can offer you a new start, Romanova.”  
  
“I’m content with my life,” Natalia said.  
  
“We’ll never stop coming after you,” Fury said. “We found you once. We can do it again. And next time, Agent Barton will put an arrow in you.”  
  
“I’m not a good person, Fury,” Natalia said.  
  
“But you could be,” Fury said.  
  
Natalia smiled. “What makes you think that?”  
  
“I know more about you than you think,” Fury said. “There was a woman, wasn’t there? Your partner. We never did figure out her identity, but you were close, weren’t you? You protected her, she protected you.”  
  
Natalia stared unblinking at him, but her hands tightened into fists in her lap. “You are not allowed to speak of her,” she said, her voice low and level.  
  
“Touched a nerve, did I?” Fury said. “What ever happened to her? Haven’t seen her around in a long time.”  
  
Natalia didn’t say anything.  
  
“You’re not a monster, Romanova,” Fury said. “You care about people. Maybe not a lot of people, but you care. You have a choice now. Make the right one.”  
  
“If I join you,” Natalia said, “will you punish me for the things I’ve done?”  
  
“No,” Fury said. “Clean slate.”  
  
“I want a new name,” Natalia said. “If this is really a new start, I want to be known by a new name.”  
  
“What name?”  
  
“Natasha,” she said. “Natasha Romanoff.”  
  
:::  
  
Natasha called Steve in just before the convoy was set to take off. “We’re transporting Director Fury to a safe house,” she said. “I’m driving the lead vehicle. You’re coming with me.”  
  
“What?” Steve said. “Natasha, what the hell is going on?”  
  
“You’ve been kept in the dark too long,” Natasha said. “Bring your shield. You might need it.”  
  
The shield was their biggest obstacle to getting to the lead vehicle without being noticed.

“You could have chosen a more subtle weapon,” Natasha muttered, as they ducked down behind one of the vans that would be used as a decoy. “Move when I tell you and get in the car. Lie down in the back. Go now.” Steve sprinted forward and got to the car without being noticed by the other agents.

Natasha walked to the car and got in.

“Doesn’t exactly say good things that we were able to sneak me in here so easily,” Steve said.

“You think that was easy?” Natasha said.  
  
“Why did we have to sneak in, Natasha?” Steve said. “Where are we going?”  
  
“We’re taking Fury to a safehouse,” Natasha said. “Fury and Hill didn’t want you knowing what’s happening until we have the person who may be after SHIELD in custody.” She started up the car when she got the signal to leave. “You remember Peggy Carter.”  
  
“Of course,” Steve said.  
  
“Peggy Carter didn’t die, Steve,” Natasha said. “She was found by the Russians and revived.”  
  
Steve sat up. “I don’t understand,” he said.  
  
“They pulled her from the ice,” Natasha said. “They used her as a soldier for over forty years. She was known as the Winter Soldier.”  
  
“Natasha, that’s impossible,” Steve said. “Wait, I see something up ahead.”  
  
“Fuck!” She pressed her comm. “Turn around! Get out of here!” There was a figure up on the road ahead, too far away for proper identification, but it had to be Margaret. Natasha slammed on the brakes, and the van skidded to a stop.

The vans behind them were turning around, but before they could get out, something flew by and exploded, flipping the van that Fury was in.  
  
“Out!” Natasha said. “We need to stop her before she gets to Fury.”  
  
“Stop who?” Steve shouted, as they scrambled out and got behind the van for cover.  
  
“It’s Peggy, Steve,” Natasha said. She glanced around the van.  
  
Margaret was walking toward them, looking the same as she had twenty years ago. Ten soldiers were with her, probably mercenaries, not other sleepers. Natasha shot two, and they went down. The shots drew Margaret’s attention, and she opened fire on the van.  
  
Some of the agents in the other vans had gotten out, and they started firing back. It was enough to hold them off so that Steve and Natasha could concentrate on Margaret.  
  
Before Natasha could stop him, Steve put up his shield and stepped out from behind the van. Margaret shot at him, but he threw his shield at her, knocking the gun from her hands.  
  
Natasha ran up to Margaret and tried to take her off her feet. For one foolish moment, she imagined she saw recognition in Margaret’s eyes. Then Margaret struck back, and Natasha grabbed her by the wrists. Margaret twisted her around and got her arm around Natasha’s throat.  
  
“Peggy, stop!” Steve called. He grabbed her and she let go of Natasha. She landed an elbow in Steve’s gut, but he held on to her, until she flipped him.  
  
It should have been an easy fight. The other soldiers were in a firefight with the remaining agents, who were outnumbered but were holding their own. It was two against one, but Margaret was exceptional. She kept up with both of them, sinking a knife into Natasha’s side and breaking Steve’s nose with an upward thrust of her palm.  
  
Natasha fell back against the van. The pain left her briefly immobilized, but she put pressure to the wound, spitting Russian curses. Steve had Margaret, he had her—but then she slipped out of his hold and took off. She knew this mission was a loss, and she was headed for her exit. Natasha saw the helicopter coming in, knew that she was going to reach it before Steve could stop her.

“Are you all right?” Steve said, holding his hand to his bloodied nose. 

“I’ll be fine,” Natasha said. She watched the helicopter disappear into the distance, knowing that they had lost their best chance at getting to Margaret.

Over their comms, they heard that ambulances were on the way. The other SHIELD agents had subdued the mercenaries, and though Fury had been badly injured in the car crash, he was alive. Margaret was the only hostile agent who had escaped.

When the ambulances arrived, Steve forced Natasha into one. He rode with her to make sure she didn’t escape.

“I could go back to SHIELD for medical treatment,” she said.

“Ma’am, I need you to lie still,” the EMT said, holding her down.

Natasha could have fought her way out, even with a knife wound, but she lay down and let them take her to the hospital.  
  
Natasha needed a short surgery to close the wound. It could have been done just as easily back at SHIELD. When she got out of surgery, Steve sat by her bed. He didn’t say anything, and Natasha waited for him to speak.  
  
“How could they have made her a Soviet soldier?” he said, after a long silence.  
  
“Brainwashing,” Natasha said. “They brainwashed her into thinking that she’d defected to the Soviet Union to fight for their cause, that they’d saved her from dying when she’d fallen into the ice.  
  
“Her arm,” he said.  
  
“She lost her arm when she was in the ice,” Natasha said. “The Soviets gave her a metal prosthesis, though it’s been updated recently.”  
  
“She doesn’t look like she’s aged,” Steve said.  
  
“She hasn’t, not much,” Natasha said. “Steve, I’ve let you believe that I’ve only been around as an agent for the last few years, but that’s not true. I was a Russian agent for forty years. I defected to SHIELD in the nineties. I--” She was sorry she had to tell Steve this, sorry he had to know. “I worked with Margaret throughout the Cold War.”  
  
Steve stared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
“I thought she was dead,” Natasha said. She sat up. “Come on, we have to get moving.”  
  
Steve put out his arm to stop her from getting up. “You just got stabbed,” he said.  
  
“I’ve had worse,” Natasha said. “A helicopter is pretty conspicuous. We should be able to at least figure out what direction it was going, maybe get a possible lead. The agents going after Jankovic may have found something, too.” Natasha was about to call in transport to SHIELD when Maria entered the room.  
  
“You’re up,” she said. “Good. I have work for you to do.”  
  
“How’s Fury?” Steve asked.  
  
“Critical,” Maria said. “But he’ll live. Fury always makes it through.”  
  
“Did you find the Red King?” Natasha said. She started pulling on her clothes. Steve made a small startled noise and turned around.  
  
“No,” Maria said. She didn’t turn around. “We found a mole in SHIELD. It was your handler.”  
  
“Ackerman?” Steve said.  
  
“Yes,” Maria said. “He’s been working for the Red King, but we don’t know how long. I need Natasha to interrogate him.”  
  
“All right,” Natasha said. “Take me to him.”  
  
Ackerman grinned when Natasha entered the interrogation room. “Figured they’d send you in,” he said.  
  
“And you thought you’d be prepared, since you’ve been my handler,” Natasha said. “But you’re only level seven, Ackerman. All you know about me is what I was in the nineties. I was around for many years before then.” She sat down, watched his grin fade. “I knew the Winter Soldier. I imagine you didn’t know that.”  
  
Ackerman remained silent, but Natasha knew that he was realizing that he wasn't prepared for this.  
  
“Of course you didn’t,” Natasha said. “The Red King wouldn’t entrust you with that information. You’re just a lackey. You were useful to him, but now you’re not.” She folded her hands. “Do you know what’s going to happen to you now?”  
  
“You’re going to try to get information out of me,” Ackerman said. He was posturing, trying for bravado. Natasha didn't buy it. “Probably you’ll torture me. I may not know everything about you, Natasha, but I know you are an expert at torture.”  
  
“I was, yes,” Natasha said. “But I wouldn’t waste my tools on you. You’re a SHIELD agent. You have a high tolerance for torture. You were made to endure pain. So I’m wasting my time.”  
  
Natasha stood. “You’ll be transferred to a holding cell to await your trial for treason.” She walked to the door and paused with her hand on the handle. “But you won’t make it there, will you?” She glanced back at him. “She’ll find you before then. Just look what the Winter Soldier did to Donati. And he probably didn’t even know where the Red King is.”  
  
“You’ll protect me,” Ackerman said, but Natasha could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.  
  
Natasha shrugged. “You saw what she did to Fury’s convoy,” she said. “And he was someone important to us. You? You’re disposable. And you’re disposable to the Red King, even more than you are to us.”  
  
“I have important information,” Ackerman said. It was a weak protest.  
  
“Information you won’t share with us,” Natasha said. “No use trying to get it out of you. I have to find the Red King. I don’t have time for you.” She opened the door.  
  
“Wait!” Ackerman said, surging to his feet.  
  
“I don’t have the patience for this,” Natasha said.  
  
“I’ll tell you,” Ackerman said. “Please, just keep me safe. I don’t want to die.”

“I’m listening, Ackerman.”

:::

The Red King had had Margaret’s stasis tube shipped to a building in Silver Spring.

“Think it could be a trap?” Steve said, as they drove out to the building.  
  
“Probably it is,” Natasha said. “But as long as it’s Margaret setting the trap, it will play into our plans.”  
  
“She didn’t recognize you,” Steve said. “Shouldn’t she remember you?”  
  
“Not necessarily,” Natasha said. “The Red King probably erased her memories of me.”  
  
“Why would he do that?” Steve said.  
  
Natasha hesitated. “We were very close,” she said. “She wouldn’t hurt me if she remembered me.” She looked over at him. “She wouldn’t hurt you either.”  
  
“It’s been a long time since she remembered me,” Steve said. “Maybe she could remember you, with some exposure to you?”  
  
“No,” Natasha said. “Not without a machine to correct the brainwashing.”  
  
“So she could remember you,” Steve said.  
  
“And you too,” Natasha said.  
  
That was the end of their conversation, as they pulled up to the building. Steve kicked in the front door and they entered, ready for attack.  
  
They didn’t have to wait long. Five men in black came at them as soon as they entered. It was a good primary line of defense, but not good enough to hold off Steve and Natasha.  
  
They left the men unconscious at the door and went through the building. Each room they searched was empty, no trace of the Red King or of Margaret. There were no locks, no alarms, no further resistance. Perhaps the Red King had left nothing here. Perhaps he had taken everything once he knew that his mole had been discovered. But the plans to the building had shown a basement, and when they found it, they ran up against a keypad entry. It was a small obstacle for Natasha. “Keep sharp,” she murmured, after she blew the lock.  
  
She opened the door and started to descend the stairs, but someone swung down on her and knocked her down the stairs.  
  
Margaret landed behind her and kicked her. Steve grabbed her from behind, but she got out of his grip and kicked him off his feet. It gave Natasha enough time to get up and land a kick to Margaret’s lower back. She stumbled forward, and Steve jumped up in time to catch her.  
  
Margaret moved quickly, too quickly for Natasha to stop her before she jammed a syringe in Steve’s leg. He went down hard, and Margaret turned toward Natasha.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Margaret said. “The Red King doesn't want him dead. You, however, I have explicit orders to kill.”  
  
“Too bad you taught me so well, Margaret,” Natasha said.  
  
Margaret anticipated her move forward and stepped to the side, but Natasha didn’t need to take her down. She grabbed Margaret’s right arm and stuck her with a tranq she had inserted into her wristlet. She let Margaret fall against her. “I’m sorry, Margaret,” she said. She lowered Margaret’s body down next to Steve’s and called in the SHIELD team. While they took Steve and Margaret away, Natasha and Maria went through the basement. They found Margaret’s stasis tube and machinery Natasha recognized as a brainwashing device.  
  
“Take this to SHIELD,” Natasha said. “We’re going to need it.”  
  
“You should get some rest,” Maria said.  
  
“All right,” Natasha said. “But I want to talk to Margaret when she wakes up.”  
  
They returned to SHIELD headquarters, and Natasha sat in a conference room not far the holding cells, sleeping lightly. Steve came in to wake her a few hours later.  
  
“How are you feeling?” Natasha asked.  
  
“I’m fine,” he said. “You?”  
  
“I ripped some stitches,” she said.  
  
“That’s not what I meant,” Steve said. “You ready for this?”  
  
Natasha nodded and stood. “Are you coming with me?”  
  
“Not unless you want me to,” Steve said. “Do you?”  
  
“Would you be upset if I say no?”  
  
“Do what you need to do,” he said.  
  
Margaret was the only one in the holding cell block. She was sitting on her cot, staring at the wall.  
  
“Hello, Margaret,” Natasha said.  
  
Margaret looked up at her. “How do you know my name?”  
  
“I knew you very well,” Natasha said, “a lifetime ago.”  
  
“You said I trained you,” Margaret said. “You’re a Russian soldier.”  
  
“I was,” Natasha said. “I was your best student.”  
  
“I don’t remember you,” Margaret said.  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
Margaret looked at Natasha for a long time. “I don’t know,” she said.  
  
“There was a girl,” Natasha said. She knew, of course, that this wouldn't bring back Margaret's memories, but she couldn't stop herself from trying. “You met her when she was a teenager. You taught her how to fight. How to blend in. You made her into Russia’s greatest spy.”  
  
“The Red King will come for me,” Margaret said.  
  
“He may,” Natasha said. “Do you want him to?”  
  
Margaret frowned. “I don’t know,” she said. She was silent for a long time, and Natasha waited, feeling her heart beat hard. “There was someone. She was special. I can feel…” Margaret shook her head. “I can’t remember.”  
  
“I can help you,” Natasha said.  
  
“You’re not here to help me,” Margaret said. “You’re here to punish me.”  
  
“No, Margaret,” Natasha said. “I can help you remember. Not just me, but before.”  
  
Margaret looked down at her hands. “There is nothing worth remembering,” she said. “I am here to serve the Red King.”  
  
Natasha left her. She was not surprised to find Steve waiting for her.  
  
“I was right,” she said. “The Red King wiped her memories of me. He must know a lot about Margaret and how she spent her time as the Winter Soldier.”  
  
“How close were you two?” Steve asked.  
  
“Very close,” Natasha said. “Close enough that the Red King must have feared she would have more loyalty to me than to him.”  
  
She saw the question in Steve’s eyes.  
  
“We were lovers, Steve,” Natasha said. “Do you want to see her now?”  
  
Steve shook his head. “No,” he said. “Not like this. They’ll be able to restore her memories, right? With that machine?”  
  
“Probably,” Natasha said. “But it will take time for them to figure out how to use it. And then…” She shrugged. “She may not remember us after all.”  
  
“So hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst,” Steve said.  
  
Natasha did not visit Margaret again after that, even when she was told that they’d found out how to use the machine, and that they’d begin the process of restoring her memories immediately. She knew Steve went to be by Margaret’s side, but she kept away.  
  
She thought about how it would happen. Would they strap her down? They had to. Probably, she’d be sedated so that she couldn’t escape. She’d never seen the brainwashing process being used, even though she knew she had been herself brainwashed. She’d never tried to restore her memories of her childhood.  
  
Would Margaret feel pain? Would everything flash before her at once, or would it come slowly? Would she accept what she saw, or push it away? Would it destroy her, knowing what she'd done?  
  
Natasha kept busy during the time she was away from Margaret, going after leads to the Red King, gathering up what little information the men and women she encountered had to offer. They still hadn’t found Jankovic, and Ackerman had already told them all he knew. He didn’t even know the Red King’s name.  
  
She got a call to come in three days after they began the process of restoring Margaret’s memories. Margaret was awake, and though she had said very little, she had asked to see Natasha.  
  
They were keeping Margaret in a secure area of the medical quarters. Natasha typed in the passcode and entered the room, expecting to see Steve with Margaret, but there was only a SHIELD agent on guard.  
  
Margaret was sitting up in her bed. “Natalia,” she said. She opened and closed her mouth several times, as if she couldn’t quite form words. “Natalia, what have I done?”  
  
Natasha went over to her, and, hesitating just a moment, put her arms around Margaret.  
  
“I’m a monster, Natalia,” Margaret said.  
  
“You are not a monster, Margaret,” Natasha said. She sat on the bed and held Margaret close.  
  
“I have done unforgivable things,” Margaret said. She shook with quiet sobs. “Steve was here when I woke up. I told him to leave. I told him I didn’t want to see him.” She pulled back. “Does he know what I’ve done?”  
  
“He knows you were a Russian soldier,” Natasha said. “I didn’t tell him much beyond that.”  
  
“But he can find out,” Margaret said.  
  
“You are not the Winter Soldier anymore,” Natasha said.  
  
“And you are not the Black Widow,” Margaret said. “You’re working for SHIELD.”  
  
“I’m still the Black Widow,” Natasha said, “but I’ve changed. Don’t forget all the unforgivable things I did, Margaret. I have learned to forgive myself. You will too, in time.”  
  
“Is Director Fury alive?” Margaret said. “I was sent to kill him. I think I may have.”  
  
“Yes, he’s alive,” Natasha said. “He’s been restored to full health by now.”  
  
“How?”  
  
“The Infinity Formula,” Natasha said.  
  
“So it’s the same Fury who almost captured us all those years ago,” Margaret said. She stood and began pacing. “I want to see him. I want to tell him about the Red King. I can tell him where to find him.”  
  
“Shh, be calm, Margaret,” Natasha said. “I will call in Fury and Maria Hill. You will tell them all that you know. But you must be gentle with yourself.” She nodded to the guard, and he called on the comm for Fury and Maria to come down.  
  
Margaret sat down next to Natasha. “I missed you,” she said. “Even when I didn’t know you were gone, I missed you.”  
  
“I thought you were dead,” Natasha said. “Raisa told me you were.”  
  
“There was a mission,” Margaret said. “I was in London, and I just left. I walked away. I didn’t even know why. It took them a month to find me, and after that I was in the stasis tube. Until the Red King came for me.”  
  
Maria and Fury entered the room. They didn’t tell Natasha to leave, so she stayed and listened as Margaret told them where to find Pasha Volkov, the Red King.  
  
Fury took note of the way Natasha’s jaw tightened when Margaret spoke Pasha’s name. “Someone you know?”  
  
“Someone we both know," Margaret said.   
  
“He was one of our handlers,” Natasha said to Fury. “Probably, he didn’t even buy her code. Just waited for the right opportunity to use her as he built himself up. ”

“We’ll put Carter and Rogers on the Red King trail,” Fury said.  
  
“Me?” Margaret said. “I don’t--”  
  
“Sharon Carter,” Fury said. “Your great niece. She’s a SHIELD agent.”  
  
Margaret smiled a little. “Can I meet her?”  
  
“After this is all over,” Fury said. “Romanoff, you’ll lead the efforts to track down all the other sleepers. Should keep you busy for a while. You’ll start immediately.”  
  
Natasha nodded. She stepped toward Margaret and kissed her forehead, saying quietly in Russian, “My darling, it is a blessing to have you returned to me.”  
  
“Don’t act like I don’t speak Russian,” Fury said. “Come on, Romanoff. We’ve got work to do.”

:::

The Red King’s hold on the weapons and drug market began to loosen as Natasha and her team took out sleepers throughout the United States and Europe. He was on the run, and Sharon and Steve were catching up.

Natasha made contact when Steve and Sharon were close. “I want to be there,” she said.

“Does Fury--” Steve started to say.

“Please, Steve,” Natasha said, controlling her voice carefully. “This is something I need.”

“All right,” Steve said, and told her their location. There was a full SHIELD team waiting as back-up, but Natasha, Sharon, and Steve entered the house alone.

They found Pasha sitting in an armchair, by the fire. He nodded at Natasha when they entered. “I guess the jig is up,” he said. “Natalia, my dear. You haven’t aged a day. The years have not been so kind to me.” He stood up, and Sharon raised her gun. He put up his hands. “Please, don’t be so barbaric. I’m only an old man, and I’ll come quietly. If I am beat, it is an honor to be beaten by the Black Widow.”

“I always took you for a patriot,” Natasha said, stiffly. “But you got rich selling Russia’s secrets.”

Pasha shrugged. “I was a patriot, but I saw the writing on the wall,” he said. “The Soviet Union was bound to fall. So I took what I needed for myself.” He looked at Natasha, smiling. “Truly, the Black Widow survived it all. Even the fall of Mother Russia. I know it won’t mean anything to you, but I’m proud of you.”

“You’ll die in a Russian prison cell,” Natasha said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Ah! So angry,” Pasha said. “Because I took her from you? Because I used her against you?”

“Steve,” Natasha said, and Steve put Pasha in handcuffs.

True to his word, Pasha went quietly. Natasha watched Steve and Sharon lead him onto the plane that would take him back to the United States. She didn’t know that he would be extradited, but the thought of him suffering in a Russian prison cell soothed her as she traveled back to Margaret.

:::  
  
“You did good work,” Natasha said, when she saw Steve again in the SHIELD mess hall. “You and Carter make quite the team.”  
  
“You didn’t do so bad yourself,” Steve said. “Heard you cleaned up all the sleepers. Nice job.”  
  
“Thanks,” Natasha said.  
  
“Now what?” Steve said. “Are they going to put Peggy in prison?”  
  
“No,” Natasha said. “She’ll be monitored, assessed for psychological stability. Probably they’ll use her as an agent, like they did with me. She’s a valuable asset.”  
  
“She’s more than that,” Steve said.  
  
“I know,” Natasha said.  
  
Steve looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to say it.  
  
“Just say what you want, Steve,” she said.  
  
“She didn’t want to see me,” he said. “When she woke up, she only wanted to see you.”  
  
“It’s not you,” Natasha said. “She’s ashamed of all the things she did. She thinks she’s a monster.”  
  
“She’s not a monster,” Steve said. “She didn’t want to do those things. You told her that, didn’t you?”  
  
“Yes, I did,” Natasha said. “It will take a long time for her to forgive herself.” Natasha looked down. “I understand, in a way you can’t. But that doesn’t mean you can’t visit her, Steve, when she’s ready to see you.”  
  
“When will that be?”  
  
“Like I said, it will take time,” Natasha said. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Me too.”  
  
Natasha reached out and touched his hand. “I know you loved her, and I know she loved you. She will be able to face you again, eventually.”  
  
“She loved you too,” Steve said.  
  
Natasha withdrew her hand. “That was a long time ago,” she said.  
  
Steve laughed. “Not as long as it’s been since she was in love with me,” he said. “Look, I don’t imagine the two of us will pick up where we left off. I know not to expect that.”  
  
“Neither do I,” Natasha said.  
  
“I guess we shouldn’t even be having this conversation,” Steve said.  
  
“Probably not, but we both loved her,” Natasha said. “We both care for her. That’s all that matters right now. She will need that love. From both of us.”  
  
:::  
  
Margaret sat on the park bench. “Aren’t they afraid I’ll overpower you and run away?”  
  
Natasha sat next to her. “No,” she said. “SHIELD implanted a tracking chip inside of you when they were restoring your memories.”  
  
“I could take it out,” Margaret said.  
  
“Only if you’re willing to lose some internal organs,” Natasha said.  
  
“Perhaps not, then,” Margaret said.  
  
They were both quiet for a few minutes, listening to the birds and the people in the park.  
  
“You remember when you said you’d leave it all behind to be with me?” Margaret said.  
  
“I do,” Natasha said. “I meant it.”  
  
“I wanted that,” Margaret said. “More than anything, I wanted to be with you. I think Raisa knew that. She was afraid of what we had. They all were. Love was not something they allowed. Loyalty, patriotism—but love was a distraction.” She turned toward Natasha and took her hand. “I still love you, Natalia. I know that Steve—I know he can’t help but hope.” She shook her head. “That was a different life. That Peggy is gone, and only Margaret is left.”  
  
“You’re not who you were, Margaret,” Natasha said.  
  
“I know,” Margaret said. “I am not the British spy. I am not the Winter Soldier. I’m what I choose to become, now.”  
  
“Yes,” Natasha said. “I faced the same choice, once.”  
  
“And you chose well,” Margaret said. “You’re a good person.”  
  
“So are you,” Natasha said. She squeezed Margaret’s hand.  
  
“Not really,” Margaret said. “It seems unfair, that I should get to have a second chance, after all the evil I’ve done.”  
  
“You never had a choice,” Natasha said. “And you will forgive yourself, one day.”  
  
“Is it awful that I hope I do?” Margaret said.  
  
“No, Margaret,” Natasha said.  
  
“What’s going to happen to me?” Margaret asked. She was still holding Natasha’s hand, and Natasha didn’t let go.  
  
“You’ll be monitored closely for the first few months,” Natasha said. “They’re going to offer you a place at SHIELD.”  
  
“And what about us?” Margaret said.  
  
“They won’t stop us from being together, if that’s what you mean,” Natasha said. “I imagine they expect me to keep an eye on you at all times, actually.”  
  
Margaret smiled. “A role reversal,” she said. “I used to keep an eye on you, and now you will be watching me.” Her smile faded, and she looked at Natasha. “I want us to be together, like we should have been. Not in secret. Just together and happy. Do you want that still, Natalia?”  
  
“I do,” Natasha said.  
  
“Can we kiss?” Margaret glanced around. “I know times have changed, but I was in stasis so often I’m not sure if it’s safe.”  
  
“They can't hurt us,” Natasha said. She leaned in and kissed Margaret. It was like the life-saving breath after nearly drowning. She held Margaret close, held on to her even after the kiss ended.  
  
“I have waited all my life to be with you the right way,” Natasha said.  
  
“And now you will.” She touched Natasha's face and smiled.

 


End file.
